Victory gardens

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VICTORY
GARDENS

MISCELLANEOUS
. 1. PUBLICATION

NO. 4-83

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGR.ICULTUR.E-

u w f.

VEGETABLES that are common and easily grown
can furnish a good share of the vitamins and miner-
als that all of us need every day. Those who wish
to grow a small vegetable garden are more likely to
succeed if they confine their efforts to a few crops, such
as those mentioned in the following pages.

This publication gives general information for the
inexperienced gardener on what to grow, how to prepare
and fertilize the soil, how and when to plant, how to care
for the plants, and how to utilize the crop. For more
detailed directions consult your State agricultural
college, county agent, vocational agricultural teachers,
or local experienced gardeners.

Unusual demands are being made on domestic
supplies of vegetable seeds. Do not waste them.
ii

3214

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION NO. 483
WASHINGTON, D. C. ISSUED FEBRUARY 1942

**************

VICTORY GARDENS

By Victor R. Boswell
Principal horticulturist and assistant head of division, Division of Fruit and Vege-
table Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry

Contents

Page

We need minerals and vitamins 1

Vegetables as sources of minerals and vitamins. 1

Who should grow vegetables? 2

" onserve supplies— follow through 3

A continuous supply should be the goal 3

What to grow 4

How to arrange the planting 4

^lansfor gardens 8

Page

How to prepare and fertilize the soil.. 8

How to plant 8

Time to plant different vegetables 10

Cultivating and mulching 10

Watering or irrigation 10

Proper harvesting and use of products 11

Additional information 11

WE NEED MINERALS AND VITAMINS

AMERICANS, as a group, have not been eating enough of those
±\ foods that are rich in the minerals and vitamins necessary for
good growth and health. Surveys by nutrition experts and the large
number of rejections under the Selective Service Act both emphasize
the need for improving our eating habits. Some people have not been
eating sufficient quantities of vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals
because they could not get them, but millions more have not eaten
enough of these essential vegetables because of lack of knowledge,
indifference, or unfortunate food habits, even though they could easily
afford and obtain them. National health as well as personal well-
being demands that we learn more about what vegetables we need
and then make special efforts to use those vegetables effectively.
Nutrition experts advise that people get their vitamins from food
rather than from indiscriminate use of synthetic preparations.

VEGETABLES AS SOURCES OF MINERALS AND VITAMINS

Vegetables are important foods because of the minerals and vita-
mins they contain. Their greatest contribution is probably in vitamin
A and vitamin C (ascorbic acid), but as a group they also furnish
some vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin G (riboflavin), calcium, and iron.

438821°— 42 j

MISC. PUBLICATION 483. IT. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE

Even small amounts of these substances are important, because they
supplement what is obtained from other kinds of food.

Vegetables differ greatly in their vitamin and mineral contents.
Fortunately, however, some of the commonest and easiest to grow are
the most valuable. Table 1 shows which of a number of commonly
used vegetables are especially good sources of vitamin A, thiamin,
ascorbic acid, riboflavin, calcium, and iron. Others, such as onions
and beets, have great practical value in meals because of flavor and
color, even though they are not important for good nutrition.

Table 1. — Vegetables as sources of vitamins and minerals l

Kind of vegetable

Vitamin
A

Thiamin

Ascorbic
acid

Riboflavin

Calcium

Iron

XX
X

X

XX

x

Beans, snap

XX
XX

X

X

Beet greens.

XX
X
X

XX

X
X

XX

X

X

XX
XX
XX

X

X

Carrots . .

XX
XX
XX
XX
XX

Chard

XX

x

Collards _ ._.

X

X
X
X
X

XX
XX

X

XX
X

Kale -.- -_ _- _- . --

XX

X

Parsnips. . _ . _ ___

X
XX

XX
XX
XX
XX

X

XX

Squash, Hubbard

Tomatoes, red. .-. - . -__

X
X

XX
XX
XX

XX

XX
X

XX

Turnips, white

i Excellent sources of each nutrient are indicated by XX: good sources by X.
Data prepared by the Bureau of Home Economics.

WHO SHOULD GROW VEGETABLES?

Every family living on a farm or country place should, of course,
have a vegetable garden. Despite the adverse climate for much of the
year in some regions or difficult soil problems, it is practicable at some
season to raise most of the vegetables listed in table 1, with fair
success. Even if special handling or treatment, such as irrigation,
drainage, or protecting by windbreaks or fences, is necessary, a garden
should be grown.

Most people in small towns and villages either have suitable
garden spots of their own or can obtain the use of conveniently located
small plots of reasonably good soil that are not too steep, too wet, or
too shady. In most cases it is not very satisfactory to attempt
gardening at any great distance from home. Inconvenience results in
neglect. However, small-town and village dwellers who can find good
areas near at hand can learn to grow vegetables profitably. Fresh
vegetables out of one's own garden give a particular satisfaction and
pleasure.

VICTORY GARDENS 3

Large-town and city dwellers generally are in no position to under-
take gardening successfully. Those living in outlying or suburban
areas and having large sunny lots, away from interfering buildings,
structures, trees, and industrial smoke or gaseous wastes, have a better
chance of growing successful gardens than large-town or city dwellers.
It is wasteful, however, to attempt gardening in cramped, poorly
drained, poorly lighted spots in the heart of a city or in most highly
developed industrial neighborhoods or within the branch or root spread
of large trees. If a person insists upon making a garden under such
adverse conditions, for exercise or for pleasure, he should realize the
odds against profitable yields. In such locations some of the more
common annual flowers might give greater satisfaction for the
efforts expended.

CONSERVE SUPPLIES-FOLLOW THROUGH

No profit will accrue to the Nation or to the individual if prospective
gardeners undertake the impossible or even the impracticable. It is
wasteful and unwise to devote energy, seeds, fertilizer, and tools to
gardening under conditions where success is very doubtful. As long as
the United States has the task of helping to feed much of the world,
seeds and fertilizer should be carefully conserved. There will probably
be enough if they are used with care, but there will be none to waste.

Perhaps the worst waste among gardeners has resulted from neglect
and abandonment of gardens planted in a flush of enthusiasm but
without adequate means or will to carry each crop through to harvest.
The Nation cannot afford such waste of labor and materials when it is
at war. Every crop planted should be properly sown at the right time,
tended to harvest, then harvested at the proper stage of development,
and utilized without waste. Unless the product is actually consumed
by those who need it, there is no point in spending seeds, fertilizer, and
energy in growing it.

A CONTINUOUS SUPPLY SHOULD BE THE GOAL

When growing vegetables for vitamins and health, a continuous
supply of a few health-giving kinds should be the goal. One should
guard against planting so much of one vegetable at one time that it
will result in a surplus and probable waste only to be followed by long
periods during which nothing is available. Although some vegetables
are suited to planting at intervals over a long period to furnish a con-
tinuing supply, others are suited to such a narrow range of changing
season that successive plantings are not recommended. Thus, a
number of kinds of vegetables or varieties of one kind must be de-
pended upon to provide a continuity of fresh produce. Single plant-
ings, however, of lima beans, some pole beans, chard, and tomatoes

4 MISC. PUBLICATION 4 8 3, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE

and, in the South, of fall collards, kale, spinach, and turnips remain
in a usable stage in the garden for a considerable time.

Some understanding of the behavior of each of these crops under
local conditions is necessary in order to plan the best planting schedule
and get the most out of the facilities and resources available. It should
be understood that effective gardening requires thought and work
before and all through the entire season and, in the South, the year
round.

WHAT TO GROW

Primarily, one should grow those vegetables that will be most
enjoyed, provided they can be grown successfully in the area. How-
ever, if a garden is to contribute to a better fed Nation, it should con-
tain most of the vegetables listed in table 1.

The green leafy vegetables — chard, collards, kale, and turnip
greens — are of greatest importance, and one or another of them should
be available from early spring onward to severe freezing weather.
They should be in every garden and should be eaten frequently.

Tomatoes and beans are so widely adapted that they should be
generally and generously grown. Tomatoes are so easily canned that
they should be grown for canning as well as for eating fresh.

Beets, carrots, and onions can be stored for some time as well as
used fresh; so quantities of these sufficient to afford a supply long
after harvest may be planted. Parsnips can be left in the ground
all winter.

Cabbage is easy to grow, but only a few plants per person should
be grown for harvesting at one season, as cabbage does not stand long
after heading. However, any large surplus of cabbage can be made
into sauerkraut, and heads of the Danish type can be stored.

HOW TO ARRANGE THE PLANTING

If the garden plot slopes appreciably and is subject to washing of
the soil, the rows should not run up and down the hill; if the plot is
nearly level, the rows should run the long way of the area for con-
venience in working.

Tall-growing crops should be placed preferably on the north or
west side of the garden so that they will not shade the low ones.

Insofar as practicable, the first plantings of small and early vege-
tables should be along the south or east side, later crops being sown
progressively across the area. This orderly procedure helps avoid
confusion and damage to the earlier sowings.

In general, flat culture is preferable to and requires less work than
growing the crops on raised beds or ridges. Ridges, however, must
be used on poorly drained areas where heavy normal rainfall results in
frequent surface flooding and on areas where the furrow method of
irrigation is to be used.

VICTORY GARDENS 5

PLANS FOR GARDENS

It is unwise to recommend any one plan for all regions or for
all gardeners. Plans 1 to 3, however, present some simple basic
schemes for gardens of different sizes. With a little experience and
study of local requirements and possibilities, one can develop improve-
ments that will better adapt the garden to individual needs and
localities.

HOW TO PREPARE AND FERTILIZE THE SOIL

Where the soil is deep, it should be spaded or plowed to a depth of
8 to 10 inches. On thin soils be careful, however, to dig up very little
subsoil. Heavy soils should not be worked while wet. Well-rotted
leafmold, horse manure or cow manure, or other decayed organic
matter, if obtainable, should be worked into the soil in amounts up
to about a bushel per 25 square feet (about 20 tons per acre). The
spaded-up masses should be crushed and roughly leveled out as the
spading progresses.

Unless commercial fertilizer is known to be unnecessary for the plot,
it should be applied along the row in a band about 3 to 4 inches wide
and about 2 inches from the line where the seeds will be sown or the
plants set. This can be done by scooping out a wide furrow about 2
inches deep with a good-sized common hoe and then distributing the
fertilizer uniformly along the furrow.

Common mixtures like 5-1 0-5, 1 or those of similar analysis, should
be applied at the rate of 1 pound per 30 feet of row (750 pounds per
acre) when the rows are 2 feet apart. (An ordinary 10-quart pail
holds 15 to 20 pounds of fertilizer.) If the rows are only a foot apart,
one-half pound per 30 feet is enough. No more than 1 pound per
30 feet should be applied in bands near the row, regardless of the
distance between rows, as otherwise the seedlings may be damaged.
The fertilizer should be mixed thoroughly with the soil and covered
about 2 inches deep. The furrow can be partly filled by opening up
the next row to plant the seed. The fertilizer must not come in con-
tact with the seed. The row for the seed should be opened just be-
fore planting. Broadcasting the fertilizer is far easier than applying
it in bands on one side and slightly below the seed, but it results in
less efficient use of the fertilizer.

HOW TO PLANT

Nearly all gardeners waste seed by sowing it too thickly. This also
wastes labor as the seedlings later must be thinned by hand to a spac-
ing that will allow proper development. Poor growth and poov-
quality vegetables are obtained if the seed is sown too thick and the

1 .r> percent nitrogen, in percenl phosphoric acid, and 5 percenl potash.

MISC. PUBLICATION 48 3, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE

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VICTORY GARDENS

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VICTORY GARDENS 9

plant? are not thinned out to proper spacing in the row. Don't buy
more seed than you need to plant. Don't plant more seed than you
need to get a stand.

Bean and pea seeds should be spaced as the plants are to stand.
These vegetables should never be thinned in the rows.

Small seeds like those of carrots, collards. onions, parsnips, spin-
ach, and turnips should be sown three or four times as thickly as the
plants are to stand finally since usually many seeds fail to produce
good seedlings. Surplus seedlings are thinned out before the plants
crowd one another.

Beet and chard "seeds" should be sown no thicker than the plants
are to stand, because the ''seeds" are really fruits, each containing
several seeds. Some thinning is always necessary.

Cabbage, tomato, and onion plants and onion sets should be placed
where they are to remain.

Table 2 shows suitable spacing for several crops, the amount of seed
required for 1 foot of row and for 100 feet of row, and the proper depth
of covering in a good sandy loam. In heavy soils seed should be
covered less deeply and in light sandy soils a little more deeply than
is indicated.

Table 2. — Seed and space required for certain vegetables when grown in small or

intensive gardens

Kind of vegetable

Beans, lima (pole)
Beans, snap (pole>

Beets

Cabbage

Carrots,

Chard

Collards

Kale

Lettuce

Mustard

Onions

Parsnips

Peas

Potatoes

Radishes

Spinach

Squash. Hubbard .

Sweet corn

Tomatoes ("staked)
Turnips

Minimum Distance Seed required to plant-

space between ■

between plants . f f ,

rows in row 1 ^ OI 100 feet of row 1 acre

Inches

24
24
14
27
14
18
18
18
15
15
14
18
18
24
12
12
100
36
36
14

Inches

Number

24

3-4

24

3-4

2-3

6

15-24

2-3

20-25

4-6

3-4

15-18

33-4

12

3 3-4

12

8-10

4-6

8-10

2-3

15-20

2-3

15-20

1

12-15

12

2

3-4

10-15

30

3 4-5

15

3 3-4

24

2-3

20-25

J< pound . . .
\i pound...

1 ounce

2 50-90

jounce

1 ounce . .
1 packet

1 packet

1 packet

% ounce

1 quart 4

Y2 ounce

1 pound

6-8 pounds .

1 ounce

Yi ounce

I ounce

\i pound...

- 50

\i ounce— -

I Depth to
co%-er
seed

Pound?

40-60 ;
•60

10-12 !
115,000

4
8-10

3K
4

2
2

Inches

150
900
12
12
2
15
»7,500
2

l

Yi
Yx
14

■:

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Vi

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4

Vi

1-11,

1

1 Average instead of very intensive rate of planting for use in calculating seed requirements for larger
gardens.
' Plants.

3 Several seeds planted in one spot where the plants art- to stand.

4 Sets.

10 MISC. PUBLICATION 4 8 3, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE

TIME TO PLANT DIFFERENT VEGETABLES

Because of the great diversity of climates and seasons over the
country, no detailed information on planting dates can be given in
this publication. Vegetables, however, may be roughly classified
and sown according to their hardiness and temperature requirements.
Gardeners should consult their experienced neighbors and local
agricultural advisers or obtain the more detailed publications avail-
able on gardening (p. 11). A rough timetable of planting is shown
as table 3.

Table 3. — Approximate time to plant certain vegetables

Early-spring plantings

Late-spring or summer plantings

Late- summer or
fall plantings (6
to 8 weeks before
fall freeze)

4 to 6 weeks before
frost-free date

2 to 4 weeks before
frost-free date

Frost-free date

2 to 6 weeks after
frost-free date

Cabbage plants.

Lettuce.

Onions.

Peas.

Potatoes.

Spinach.

Turnips.

Beets.

Carrots.

Chard.

Lettuce.

Mustard.

Peas.

Parsnips.

Radishes.

Beans.
Beets.
Sweet corn.
Squash.
Tomato plants.

Beans, snap.
Beets.
Sweet corn.

Beets.

Collards.

Kale.

Mustard.

Spinach.

Turnips.

CULTIVATING AND MULCHING

All weeds must be kept under control by thorough shallow cultiva-
tion or hoeing. . Vegetable crops should not be cultivated deeply
because of danger to the roots that grow near the surface. Weeds
that take root again readily after hoeing or pulling should be carried
out of the garden. The garden should be cultivated as soon as the
soil is dry enough after each rain or irrigation and as often in addition
as is necessary to keep the weeds down. There is no proved benefit
from stirring an already cultivated soil that is free of weeds.

Care should be taken to avoid trampling and packing the soil so
far as practicable. Mulching between the rows with straw, dried
lawn clippings, leaves, or similar material will help conserve moisture
and keep down weeds.

WATERING OR IRRIGATION

Frequent light sprinkling or irrigation is a bad practice. If water
is to be applied, the garden should be thoroughly and deeply soaked,
as by a fairly heavy rain, and watered again only when the soil shows
signs of becoming dry.

VICTORY GARDENS 11

PROPER HARVESTING AND USE OF PRODUCTS

Too many growers, in attempts to get larger growth and yield,
delay harvest beyond the stage of best quality. No vegetable should
be allowed to become tough, coarse, overgrown, and unpalatable
before being harvested. Quantity is important, but so is quality.
Large size in a product is, of itself, of little value. Indeed, excessive
size is generally associated with mediocre, if not low, quality.

The sooner vegetables can be used after harvest, the better. If
they must be kept a while, they should generally be kept in a cool,
moist place.

Most people cook vegetables too long; this destroys much of the
vitamin content. The}' also cook them in too much water, which
removes and wastes part of the valuable minerals. Soda should never
be added to green vegetables to set the color, as it destroys vitamin C.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In the brief space of a publication of this character, only the bare
outlines of simple vegetable gardens can be presented. This publica-
tion is intended to give only general information that will introduce
the inexperienced prospective gardener to the subject and enable him
to make a beginning. Those who wish to go farther with the subject
should study the publications on gardening and storage prepared by
their own State agricultural experiment stations and extension
services. The United States Department of Agriculture also publishes
several more comprehensive bulletins on the subject. The following
can be obtained free from the Office of Information, United States
Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C:

Leaflet 203, Disease-Resistant Varieties of Vegetables for the Home Garden.

Farmers' Bulletin 1044, The City Home Garden.

Farmers' Bulletin 1371. Diseases and Insects of Garden Vegetables.

Farmers' Bulletin 1673, The Farm Garden.

Farmers' Bulletin 1743, Hotbeds and Coldframes.

The following can be purchased for 5 cents from the Superintendent
of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C:

Department Bulletin 1427, Dry-Land Gardening at the Northern Great
Plains Field Station. Mandan, N. Dak.

U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1942

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. Price 5 cents